1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for playing audio, and more particularly, for replaying a portion of audio information as desired by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some modern methods and apparatuses allow the playing of audio information. As used herein, the term “audio information” includes both verbal and non-verbal information. Verbal audio information includes words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc., or other uttered sounds (e.g., syllables or fragments of words, etc.). Such verbal audio information may be spoken or expressed in musical form (e.g., spoken words or uttered sounds produced with or without musical accompaniment). Non-verbal information includes music (i.e., without words), coded audio signals (e.g., Morse code), wordless tone (e.g., humming), etc. Some such apparatuses and methods further allow a user to select a replay starting point, i.e., a point in time at which she would like a replay operation to begin replaying of audio information.
In these related art methods and apparatuses a user may unintentionally select a different point in time from what she intended. For example, a user might listen to a portion of an audio book, a song, etc., and want to set a marker to coincide with the end of a sentence, stanza, etc. Upon hearing the desired portion, the user may press a button or click a mouse to initiate the insertion of a marker to designate the replay starting point. However, the user may press the button or click the mouse too late, and as a result, effect the insertion of the marker at a point in time after which the next portion has already begun. The user thus has a need for a way to correct the location of the erroneously inserted marker so as to coincide with the intended location.
For example, FIG. 1 shows audio information in the form of an analog audio signal 100, having a first silent portion 110, a non-silent portion 120 and a second silent portion 130. A first transition point 119 exists between the first silent portion 110 and the non-silent portion 120. A second transition point 129 exists between the silent portion 130 and the non-silent portion 120. A user decides she wants to insert a replay starting point before the beginning of the non-silent portion 120 (e.g., at point 111). As noted above, the user may press a button or click a mouse, etc., at the desired time. However, the user may not press the button quickly enough (e.g., prior to the end of the first silent portion 110) to insert the marker at the desired time. Instead, the user acts too late and presses the button at a time during the non-silent portion 120, and as a result the marker is inserted at point 121. Consequently, the user needs a way to correct for her unintentional mistake.